The present invention relates generally to adhesively mounted articles, and more particularly, to articles mounted using stretch releasing adhesives having a non-adhesive pull tab.
Stretch releasing adhesives are high performance pressure-sensitive adhesives that combine strong holding power with clean removal and no surface damage. Stretch releasing adhesives are commonly provided in the form of strips that include an adhesive portion and a non-adhesive pull tab portion that is grasped and pulled by a user during the stretch removal process.
Stretch releasing adhesive strips are commonly used to removably adhesively mount a holding device, such as a hook, on a surface, such as a wall, window, cabinet, or the like. Such devices are generally designed to either conceal the non-adhesive pull tab or leave it exposed. Devices that leave the pull tab exposed allow a user to directly grasp the pull tab to stretch remove the adhesive strip from the holding device and the surface. Leaving the pull tab exposed, however, is often considered aesthetically undesirable. Examples of devices that leave the non-adhesive pull tab exposed are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,189 (Luhmann), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,708 (Kreckel).
To conceal the pull tab, and thereby improve the overall visual appearance of devices mounted using stretch releasing adhesive strips, devices have been designed to completely overlay, and thereby conceal, the pull tab, and selectively allow access to the pull tab during the stretch removal process. Examples of holding devices that allow the non-adhesive pull tab to be selectively concealed are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,464 (Hamerski et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,474 (doCanto et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,686 (Schumann), U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,864 (Schumann), U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,126 (Johansson, et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 7,028,958 (Pitzen, et al.). Devices designed to conceal the pull tab, however, often include multiple parts that may be misplaced or damaged. In addition, the number of parts adds to the cost to produce the devices, and increases the complexity of using the devices. For example, end users who are not familiar with the operation of such devices may not recognize that the device is designed to selectively expose the pull tab.